If you??™re feeling
adventurous, try using FTP: just set up an FTP server on one PC, either
using Windows??™ built-in IIS service or a third-party freeware alternative, and
then connect to that PC with a basic FTP client.
398 | Chapter 7: Networking and Internet
Do Download Accelerators Really Work?
There are a number of ???download accelerator??? software products available,
all of which promise to speed up the transfer of files downloaded to your
computer. As you might??™ve guessed, none of them are actually capable of
increasing the bandwidth or throughput of your Internet connection.
Rather, they employ download managers that compensate for inefficiencies
in the download process.
These programs work by downloading a file in pieces, via multiple concurrent
download streams (not unlike the TCP/IP protocol that powers the
transfer explained at the beginning of this chapter). While two concurrent
downloads would each be allotted half the bandwidth normally consumed
by a single download, this boundary only applies when your Internet connection
is the bottleneck. In practice, download managers do use a larger
percentage of your available bandwidth, and as a result, do tend to shorten
download times, particularly for large files.
The problem is that any speed advantage you notice may be offset by the
annoying and cumbersome interfaces these programs add to the mix:
numerous dialog boxes and unnecessary prompts, not to mention bloated
manager applications that take too long to load before they even get started.
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